Bus! Stop!

by James Yang

Few words are needed in this inventive and fun transportation adventure!

"Bus! Stop!" a boy yells, as his bus pulls away one early morning. He must wait for the next bus. But the next one does NOT look like his bus at all. And neither does the next one, or the next. At first, the boy is annoyed. Then he is puzzled. Then intrigued. The other buses look much more interesting than his bus. Maybe he should try a different bus after all, and he's glad he does!

Here is a book with few words and delightful illustrations that shows very young children that trying something a little different can be a lot of fun.

Genres: Picture Books, Transport, Storytime, Childrens, Buses, Humor, Fiction

28 pages, Hardcover

First published March 13, 2018

About the author

James Yang is an award-winning artist and designer, and the author of Stop! Bot!, the winner of the 2020 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished American book for beginning readers. His follow up book, A Boy Named Isamu , is the APALA 2022 Honor Title Picture for Asian American literature . He uses pencil sharpeners, pens, and a computer--which is an electronic machine--in his studio. James Yang grew up in Oklahoma, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read. Read for my daughter. Reading simple books to let her see different pictures.

——-:/::;;((()$$&—-//////———

I started reading Bus! Stop! for my 6 years old son as a bedtime story on 3/30/18 and we finished it that same night. We read it again on 3/31/18. This book is awesome! I love the many different fun transportations. I love that the cat moved from different buildings throughout the book! I just noticed that now while looking through the pages again for review. It’s a fun hide and seek for my son. My son likes transportations and this book provides different types of it. I like the different birds hanging out on the sidewalk throughout the day and night. My son likes the planet views at night.

In this book, readers will follow a boy running for the bus and yelling the bus to stop because he has just missed his ride. The page shows the end of the bus on the left page and him running for the bus on the right page. The background stays the same with tall buildings as he wait from morning until night for his next ride. At night there are lights shine through the windows on some buildings. As he waits for the next bus, a portion of the head of the next transportation appear on the page with the type of people that will ride the bus. If the next bus is a horse wagon then there will be people donning in cowboy hats and boots. If the next ride is a navy ship then there will be people wearing navy outfits walking to the bus stop. At last night time arrives and many different transportations passed by, he decided to aboard one even though he knows it’s not the type of bus he normally takes.

A well illustrated children’s book, I highly recommend this book for all kids. It promotes guessing and thinking what the next transportation will be when readers see a peak-a-boo of the bus and the people walking to the bus stop. I like how each bus is made for a certain group of people. My son likes the tall bus and kids with propellers on their head. They have to fly up to enter the bus. The boy realized that bus is not his because it’s too high for him to get on. My son likes it when after many different buses passed by and the boy still couldn’t get on and he bangs his head on the bus stop pole with frustrations. This book, though told with few words, it can be interpreted with much more. Readers could tell their own story by studying the illustrations.

Pro: illustrations, variety of characters, peek-a-boo, different types of transportations,

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who ever missed a bus - great art!

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice graphics, so so story.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a young boy misses his bus, he finds himself standing at the bus stop for quite some time. A number of different kinds of buses pass by, but each of them seem to be the wrong kind of conveyance, either because of the kind of passengers they carry, or because they don't look like buses at all. Finally, in desperation, the boy boards a floating bus with lots of interesting, exotic-looking creatures aboard, and has the ride of his life...

Bus! Stop! is the first picture-book I have read from author/artist James Yang, who also produced the two Joey and Jet stories, and I found that it was the illustrations that I really enjoyed. I liked the story idea, of course - there's a sense of urban magical realism here - but the text itself is quite simple, leaving the visuals to really expand the tale, and carry it forward. There's a fun, block-print style to this art, that works very well in the boy's city surroundings. Recommended to young bus riders, and to any child who's ever looked around them, and longed for something really unusual to come down the road toward them.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the illustrations that are full of wacky imaginative people and transportation vessels. The author is from Brooklyn and clearly draws on his public transportation experiences in a childlike way which I can relate to. I think kids will love the creative and unique images and draw on them much like you would a wordless book.

This brings me to the text. I didn't dislike the text but I wasn't sure it added much to the story. One advantage for my house right now however is that it is brief enough for my new reader to read aloud. I love finding vibrant picture books that work as easy readers. That simplicity will also work for toddlers who will be drawn to the book for it's transportation theme.

I feel like the book lacks a satisfying plot. I wasn't entirely sure why the boy decides to get on last bus, rather than the others. After all that waiting shouldn't the next bus he needs have appeared? Where is this one taking him? Clearly not where he originally intended to go. Perhaps that is the point? I guess I wasn't sure. I did like the way it circles back around with the girl missing her bus at the end.

Overall, my kids and I did like the book. The illustrations on their own are worth coming back to it more than once. Definitely worth reading if you enjoy wordless texts or if you have a toddler or preschoolers who loves transportation

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Younger kids would really enjoy this book. When my son was younger, he would have made read it over and over!

[N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bus! Stop! is the fanciful story of an unnamed boy who misses his bus. "Bus! Stop!" he cries, as the bus pulls away. But, the bus doesn't stop. A series of strange buses and people (or even creatures) file to the bus stop, the buses pick up their unique passengers and leave, the boy making brief observations about each:

"This does not even LOOK like a bus!" he says about a bus that picks up sailors and is shaped like a ship.

After regretfully watching a bus in which the passengers appear to float inside the bus and wondering if he should have taken that bus because it looked like a fun one, the boy climbs onto the next bus and is taken into outer space. As the bus flies away, it passes an outer-space bus stop where a girl with a cat shouts, "Bus! Stop!" and the boy seems to empathize with her predicament.

I absolutely loved this book. Full disclosure: I received a copy for review from Viking (in return for my unbiased view) and I went to high school with James Yang. I appreciated his art, back then, when he had a comic strip in our school newspaper. His art has matured and he has long since found his personal style as a commercial artist. Bus! Stop! is classic James Yang. I love the detail of the cat in the background that moves from one window to another, the variety of crazy buses, and the simple idea of how it feels to miss one's bus and then have to wait and wait and wait for the right bus to show up.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short, spare picture book is clever, silly and relatable, especially to urban dwellers who have ever just missed their bus. A little boy misses his bus, and so he waits at the bus stop for the next one. Along come little triangle people with propellers on their heads. A bus raised way up high on stilts arrives, and the triangle people flutter up to get on. The bus leaves. Several more funny sets of people come to the bus stop, and similarly funny buses picks them up. Finally it is night time and the boy has had enough of waiting, so he takes the next bus, despite the fact that it is shaped like an animal and is floating along with balloons. Simple subdued illustrations of very silly bus riders are sure to make readers smile. The author dedicates the book to "all the nice drivers who waited as I ran toward the bus."

[Jj · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations, but the story did not go anywhere--literally or metaphorically--for me. The little circle eyes on some of the people also seemed slightly creepy. Not all of the people had them, but the main character did throughout. The kid misses his bus and then a bunch of other different creatures and vehicles come past. I wanted to like it (it's pretty minimal on text, which is always fun), but just couldn't get into this one, I am sorry to say.

Thanks to the publisher (Penguin Young Readers Group) for providing a review copy.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird eyes on the main character. So, is he just lost now? Doomed to ride around on the wrong "bus?"

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy misses his bus and watches as a whimsical assortment of other characters show up to catch a ride on their respective vehicles. Will he ever find his bus? The format is a little small for a storytime read-aloud but this would be a great book to read with a few children.

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the quirky art in this book, and I especially like the author's note at the end: "Dedicated to all the nice drivers who waited as I ran toward the bus."

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story with really nice illustrations. Great read-aloud for 4-7 y/o.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun! Could have the kids draw their own idea bus afterwards.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very few words in this story, but very few words are needed. The illustrations do a fine job telling the story.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Short. Boy misses his bus. Several other buses come by, very different from his own. Finally, he takes one that looks fun, but sees someone else has missed her bus.

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully clever and laugh-out-loud funny. Reminded me of the wacky Sesame Street animation of a bygone era.

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book that also works as a beginning reader. A variety of creative buses pass by but they aren't quite the right one for the rider who just missed his bus.

[Harker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always on the look out for a good picture book to share with my son, I accepted this one to review because he's been interested in vehicles lately. While the title of this book might lead you to believe that you'll only see buses, there are such a variety that the art is never boring.

I'm not sure the book achieves what the summary says it set out to do. Trying new things can be fun and I'm sure the child in this book might have had fun, but there's no indication of his experience on the bus he does eventually choose (which is not is). His getting on this bus by himself, after spending all day looking at the various bus-like vehicles that cross his path, was a bit worrisome because it seemed like a problem waiting to happen in some form or another.

The simplistic dialogue and the art work make the book a quick story for story or bedtime, though I'd hope that any person reading this to a young child would explain the bad idea that is getting into an unfamiliar vehicle by yourself late at night when you're a child. 





I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lenoire · Rating 3 out of 5]

One early morning a little boy misses his bus causing him to yell "Bus! Stop!". Unfortunately, the bus does not stop and he has to wait for the next one. However, the next bus and the ones afterward look nothing like his bus. The little boy is confused on why none of the buses look familiar until he decides to take a chance and try another bus!

I read this cute picture book to the little tots I volunteer with and it wasn't a big hit. The book didn't have much dialogue and drawings were "weird" (according to one child). I personally wasn't a fan of the book on the "base level" because it seemed very sparse but I feel that the underlying message of finding something that fits your personality is worth waiting for or letting children experiment with different things.

Engagement Activities -

1. What are some favorite locations you can go to by bus?

2. What would your ideal form of transportation look like?

3. Can you draw what your bus would look like?

4. Can you tell us time when you tried something that you didn't like but now enjoy?

5. What is your favorite activity to do on a bus?

6. What is one thing that you didn't like but like now?

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a boy misses his bus, he finds himself in a city filled with strange vehicles that are certainly not his bus. One bus is too tall and the passengers have to use their propeller hats to board it. The next is pulled by horses and shaped like a covered wagon, just right for the people in cowboy hats who climb aboard. When people wearing sailor suits arrive next, readers can guess the ship is about to arrive. There is another bus that bounces passengers high. The boy catches the next bus, even though it isn’t his either. It floats high above, away from the little girl who just missed the bus.

Told in very simple lines of text that are shown as speech bubbles, this picture book is all about the illustrations. With a modern edge, they have a playful feel thanks to their bright colors and the wild sorts of transportation shown on the pages. The matching of passengers to each conveyance is particularly skillful and will have children guessing what sort of “bus” is about to arrive on the next page. Humorous and jolly, stop for this book! Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[The Library Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty much a 1 joke book: kid misses his bus and one eccentric bus after another pulls up instead, everything from a horse pulled cowboy/cowgirl bus to a zero gee bus. The punchline is an ending where the kid gets onto a strange bus, and after it leaves, another kid rushes up and misses the bus.

The book is oddly sized, small and long, and may get lost on library shelves, though the length will make it less likely to get smushed behind other books the way Beatrix Potter books do! The art style works with the sizing--tiny, retro looking people, animals and aliens, at moments reminding me of Lois Lenski. This isn't a toddler book though, I think that it will be appreciated more by an older audience. If you have a toddler/preschooler into buses, I'd be more likely to hand you The Bus for Us, which has ordinary vehicles, not exotic buses, but will please your child's sensibilities with a similar format.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few words are needed in this inventive and fun transportation adventure!

Bus! Stop! a boy yells, as his bus pulls away one early morning. He must wait for the next bus. But the next one does NOT look like his bus at all. And neither does the next one, or the next. At first, the boy is annoyed. Then he is puzzled. Then intrigued. The other buses look much more interesting than his bus. Maybe he should try a different bus after all, and he's glad he does!

Here is a book with few words and delightful illustrations that shows very young children that trying something a little different can be a lot of fun.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exploring the work of James Yang.
I had to look closely at this book a second time to appreciate.
The poor character misses his bus and waits ALL day for the next one,
only the next ones aren't quite right....
Look at the passengers as they make their way to catche 'their' bus...
cowboys, saliors, ...
And the sky changes from morning yellow to blue, dusk and night.
I chuckled when I noticed the cat in the evening window.

Indeed silly. crazy, - there are words, but the pictures
trully tell the story - look close and enjoy.

I enjoyed the birds, teh colors, and the flatness of the illustrations.

Worth a visit!! Enjoy

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bus! Stop!, whose title is pun on bus stop, is a celebration of this vehicle of public transportation. When a young man misses his bus, he watches a variety of increasingly fantastical buses go by until he decides to take one. Just as the bus pulls away, a young woman runs up, yelling "Bus! Stop!", thus promising that cycle will start anew.

This book is "dedicated to all the nice drivers who waited as [the author] ran toward the bus." And it's sure to be a hit with any child who loves things that go or rides public transportation.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly and colorful and fun, with many kinds of buses (buses?). And a kind of circular story, starting with a character missing their bus and ending with a new character missing their bus. (I'm sure there are many examples of stories like this, but I always think of But Not the Hippopotamus.)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's deeper meaning here about individuality and walking one's own path. But this is for very young children. I think this perfectly catches the feelings one has when one misses a bus and then other buses come by going to unknown locations. Maybe they'd be useful to take too. But does one dare? The main character here does. I liked this a lot. It has simple illustrations, a wonderful extra wide landscape layout that accomodates the various buses, and it's fun.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Yang's art is quirky and captivating. Our protagonist missed his bus, but neither the travellers or the next buses that come along look like his bus. He waits and waits and waits. I'm going to test this one out on the grandkids before saying I'm done with it, but so far I like it. I think there will be lots of fun deciding with kids whether or not he should take the bus or not!

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story of a person missing the bus and then all the other buses that come after are VERY different (cowboy-themed, very high off the ground, floating, shaped like a boat, etc.) He finally tires of waiting for his bus and is intrigued by the others. He takes that bus and then sees someone else who just misses their bus....

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: The main character misses his bus. He has to distinguish between many different commuter vehicles until his bus comes back.

Why I Read This:??? I really need to start writing those things down.

Review: It was fine. I know kid who would like it, but I'd forget to ever recommend it.